Imber
|years_active= |location=near Westminister, (off the B3414) |coordinates= |rating= |map= }} The village of Imber, near Westminister, England, is a "ghost town" that was evacuated in 1943. St. Giles Church is the only building allowed to remain active. The town is reportedly haunted by the ghosts of Albert Nash and Major Whistler, among possibly others. Background Because of Imber's isolated location and being surrounded by a vast area of empty land, the government commandeered the village to train American troops during the Second World War, in preparation for D-Day. They gave the people of Imber (population 151) one month to leave. The villagers were under the impression that they would be allowed to return once the training was completed. They were wrong. A group who calls themselves "Imber Forever" were able to get the government to allow them to fix St. Giles Church and to hold services for Easter and Christmas. There is no access to other areas of the village due to the inherent dangers of unexploded military debris and that 'the Minister of Military Defense always reserves the right to close off access to the Salsbury Plains and Imber for operational reasons (military exercises) without notice.' Hauntings Over time, most of the former residents have died. Many reserved the right to be buried at Imber graveyard. There have been reportings of sounds of chatter and laughter coming from the empty buildings of the village when darkness falls, in particular, from the area where the old Pub once stood. The appearance of graffiti appearing on the sides of the buildings overnight has also been reported. This graffiti is usually written with some sort of white substance that does not go away when cleaned, although it does smudge. The graffiti is written in very large, block letters across the entire side of the building, and generally describes the function of the building. For this reason, it is widely believed that the ghosts of the former residents are haunting the village they onced lived in. The most prominent ghost hauntings are allegedly by the ghosts of Albert Nash and Major Whistler. Albert Nash Albert Nash was the villager's blacksmith during his life there. He was a very respected member of the village and fixed machines for the nearby farms. He went into a depression when the village was forced to evacuate, and almost immediately suffered from a mental breakdown. Nash grew sick and died only six weeks after he was forced to move. His official cause of death was of a 'broken heart'. He was buried in Imber and his ghost is often blamed for any events near where he plied his trade. You can often hear metalic clanging in the village. Major Whistler Major Whistler was the richest resident of the village. He owned the town hall and the 'Imber Court Building'. The Imber Court building is the most "graffitied" building in the village. Much of the graffiti is accredited to his ghost. Resources * About St. Giles Church * How to reach Imber